Labour's campaign strategy, according to Danyl McLaughlin:
Labour will commit to inconsequential climate goals, and continue to frame themselves with rhetorically progressive but deliberately meaningless messaging like “putting people at the heart of everything they do”.
Labour’s winning strategy is built on rhetoric that seems to promise real change but never quite delivers… Perhaps soon it can give itself permission to do something truly transformational.
But Danyl fails to come up with anything after his wondering & diagnosis. The Greens, trying to present as in leftist harmony, likewise felt obliged to not promise any specific transformation. If they find themselves in coalition, one would hope that the preceding negotiations do produce mutual commitments to transformation of Aotearoa – spelt out in specific policy declarations of intent!
They'd still be devoid of a mandate for that transformation, but voters would appreciate the honesty up front. A Labour/Green govt launched on a transformative consensus basis would be auspicious and likely to succeed.
Julie-Anne Genter also confirmed to a small business panel late in September that a Wealth Tax is a “bottom line” for the Green Party in any post-election negotiations with Labour.
My wife,who is a registered National Party supporter, received an email, from Judith Collins, which contained the above excerpt. Is it true, and would it make any difference anyway.
Genter didn't quite say that, but did make a mistake around the GP position on bottom lines. They don't have any bottom lines, but they do have high priorities and addressing income disparity is one of them (by progressive tax reform).
Since most taxpayers under the gun with regard to wealth taxes are unlikely to sell off assets in order to meet their tax obligations, the tax would, in effect, amount to an income tax. This is different from a capital gains tax, which would be paid from the proceeds of the sale.
Those who would count as "asset rich, cash poor" might be an exception.
Had Labour said at the last election that Labour would embark on just an ambitious house building program, then the criticism around the Kiwibuild would not have happened.
If Twyford had been competent, he'd have delivered on his promises, and the criticism "would not have happened."
Danyl believes "Ardern has learned from her first term in government that if she promises anything substantive her caucus and the public service will fail to deliver it".
Is this true?? She seems intelligent enough to have learnt that from her experience as PM. Can't assume she has though. The public service during that term did achieve a 50% pass rate, eh? Labour usually comes in around that, so we can assume there's a reasonable basis that she would think reliance on bureaucrats is a 50-50 call, and she's comfortable with that.
Applying that logic to her caucus produces the same result, of course. So she's on a random walk. I'd prefer a destination…
edit
I have a;ways been surprised that individual Ministers can make extravagant statements that are unlikely to result in anything of value to the country and the Party feel satisfied with this dopey system that has been adopted. If there is a caucus, if the Ministers in and out of Cabinet meet and discuss and examine and hear presentations from the Public Service and other approved advisors, how can something like Phil Twyford's bloated figures and hopes get into official Labour pronouncements.
It seemed obvious that the number of houses could never be completed, and Twyford's (which are also Labour's) pronouncements have taken government and democracy into the realms of a puppet show – our very own Punch and Judy.
Please Labour stop announcing definite numbers of anything, and replace numbers with a promise to make important and far-reaching changes for the better, and then proceed to do that in a way that is prompt, practical and beneficial to those needing good policy outcomes.
Also monitor whether the Public Service are carrying out these policies in a positive manner and give them the opportunity to make suggestions for improvement so they have a voice. Explain the approach is all important to achieving success in solving problems and that government services or their contractors are crucial to that.
If Twyford and Labour had been honest they would not have increased a extremely difficult Kiwibuild of 50,000 as per 2012 to an impossible 100,000.and if they knew that it was unobtainable then it was a .. LIE 🤫
and instead of selling off state assets in the guise of Kiwibuild they could have used any land to increase state housing stock. But no let’s build for those poor who can afford a $650k home. Why can many tribal people see the lies the other side tells yet are unable to when their side tells porkies 🤔
I could be wrong, but I don't think David Shearer's original "kiwibuild" policy included the building of state houses. His suggestion was that houses should be built, sold, and the proceeds used to build more houses. The current version of "kiwibuild" seems to be to build lots of state houses, but not necessarily 10,000 per year.
I referred to Twyford, and he must take responsibility for his pronouncements along with the whole of the Labour leading group.
Here is an example of Labour doing good, saying they want to do better, and that they will keep working on it. Which is the best way to present particulars within the 'transformational' project. PM Ardern listened to people who had been drug users at a meeting in Moerewa in Northland and announced a new program to combat meth addiction.
Auckland man Lawrence Turner told Ardern how Waipuna Ora was helping him to help others after his stint in jail.
"You're doing a good job too," Turner told the Labour leader, to the audience's laughter.
"I seen you when I was stuck in jail, just watching you, [thinking] 'f**k, she's doing all right!'"
Earlier in the day, Ardern announced Labour would roll out a meth addiction programme to another 4000 people, if re-elected, at a cost of $38 million over four years.
The Te Ara Oranga programme – piloted under the previous National-led government – has been operating in Northland and seen promising results.
National has also committed to rolling out an intensive meth treatment programme in 11 locations, as well as putting a meth-detox bed in every DHB.
Speaking at Moerewa Christian Fellowship Church, Ardern told those gathered she felt the "weight of expectation" on her shoulders to revolutionise the justice system.
"You are right to put it there. We should all feel it and we do," Ardern said.
"What we're asking for is more time."
The people will likely approve of even small, incremental changes which can be expanded after successful pilots. And that is the final test, not just setting up small pockets having good results and waving them like banners for good vibes to the public, but then budgeting for repeats carried out in ways that workers on the ground are satisfied with, and they will produce results or lose their funding.
And then if the results are achieved, the systems will be locked in, not just chopped and dropped some years later. We will always need certain interventions, and we need to look after the young particularly, from helping parents do a good job, have good standards and pride, to giving them a place in the working society doing something that will receive a salary suitable for living.
yes, putting numbers up immediatley gives naysayers a target. however few houses they actually built are a lot more than the "no housing crisis nats" built. like ten bridges, its a silly promise.
"Ardern has learned from her first term in government that if she promises anything substantive her caucus and the public service will fail to deliver it"
Hmm – haven't her inner circle and the public service just delivered one of the best Covid-responses globally – in quite an agile manner and on the hoof as well? McLaughlin is essentially pitching this as a competence thing – when it clearly isn't. And in fact it's a lame regurgitation of Nat framing.
Rather, failure to deliver will occur in those areas where band-aids and ambulances at the bottoms of cliffs can't have much effect – but the structural/economic issues that cause the problems to occur are so massive and so entrenched, that they can't be addressed without business and the media screaming the house down.
And more than just business and the media – solving these problems will also cut across the economic interests of a chunk of the affluent PMC who make up Labour's most articulate and influential support, as well as their MPs. If you removed the possibility of financial insecurity for every single citizen – downstream social problems would melt away to vanishingly low levels. But it is an inconceivably radical thing for Labour to try. I have great regard for Ardern – she is doing what she can in the environment she's been given. It’s nothing to do with competence, it’s about what is ideologically permissible.
It has been reported that when Labour was sorting the Kiwibuild policy, the goal was to be 50,000 houses but the outgoing Annette King said 100,000 sounded much better and hence the impossible figure was set.
Should have been "as many houses shall be built as we can."
My cousin in Czechia has said their govt has spent all their money on covid and has no reserves left to deal with climate change. My suspicion about this last period with Labour's prioritizing of 'the art of the possible' over longterm reason. Most importantly, their unwillingness to try and persuade. Seen also in Leftist columnists.
It's a strange election campaign. This time is not for the innocuous ordinary.
Rob is the creator of The Food Waste Fiasco, a campaign that strives to end food waste and hunger in the U.S. He has dove into more than two thousand dumpsters across the United States to demonstrate how nearly half of all food in the U.S. is wasted while 50 million (1 in 7) Americans are food insecure.
He had the goal of being a millionaire by age 30. His life took a great turn when at the age of 24 he started to become aware of the environmental and social issues of his generation. He learned through books and documentaries that he was contributing to many of these problems through his daily actions including the food he was eating, the car he was driving, and the stuff he was buying and consuming. At that point he began his transformation from a Drunk Dude to Dude Making a Difference.
After five years of downsizing and simplifying his life he was down to just 111 possessions, all that fit into his backpack. He then traveled for two years in the service of others.
In 2016 he landed in Rio, Brazil without a penny in his pocket. He was on a mission to travel to Panama, 7,000 miles and 7 countries away, while relying only on the goodness of humanity. This adventure is a six episode series called Free Ride on Discovery Channelplaying worldwide. His travels have taken him to 6 continents and 45 countries.
Yes. There is an entire way of life emerging of people no longer rooted to one location. They move for all sorts of reasons, work, adventure, seeking and escape. They're tiny house people, van lifers, sailors, surfies, backpackers, woofers and more. They have all manner of networks, often on the net, to facilitate finding places to stay and ways to earn a living. They're not tourists, they're making a new life as global citizens.
In some ways they're incredibly resilient, in others extremely vulnerable. Some are aimless and indigent, but many do look for ways to give back to the communities around them. Often in quite imaginative ways. Rob is very much one of this tribe, I like him.
One issue they do encounter is an effective lack of democratic representation, they're usually not able to vote in most of the places they live, and rarely would any political system take account of their concerns. Mostly they accept their outsider status and work within it's limits, but events like covid can expose them badly.
Nomads like these are an enduring component of humanity, they serve an ancient purpose, cross-pollinating and spreading ideas and experiences across nations and cultures. They modern world both makes it easier in some ways and much harder in others for them, but I believe they should be embraced and celebrated on the whole.
an entire way of life emerging of people no longer rooted to one location. They move for all sorts of reasons
Global citizens. You make a good point. Whereas my consciousness emerged from adolescence into global view (1965) human nature is mostly parochial. I never shifted from global consciousness into global experience, so I admire those motivated to do so, and those few who pioneer it as a resilient lifestyle even more!
There are no global citizenship rights, so these folk are a precariat. Must use nationality as a resource still. You've noticed that problem & describe it well too.
In ancient times the stranger was a powerful social archetype. Cross-fertilising between cultures as you mention. Perhaps we're seeing that re-emerge, leading edge. Exemplars of resilience & sustainability. Language building a bridge wherever, if they incorporate it as praxis.
There's a metaphysical basis for this: triadic structure & function. Mediating two cultures or realms makes the mediator the tertiary function. From one, holism, from two, dualism. Transcendence of dichotomies & polarities requires intervention by a third element/factor/agent. This is fundamental to neuroscience, society, nature.
Some examples. Two brain hemispheres, joined by the bridge of the corpus callosum, through which they send messages to each other. Triadic structure of time (past/present/future), three dimensions of space (vertical & two horizontal). Reproduction (takes two, then a child).
So trade emerged as a by-product of strangers travelling. That's why ancient Greeks & Romans empowered Hermes/Mercury. Not merely the messenger of the gods! Shamanic function was primal, but then economies evolved from the function of the archetype…
Yes … that's a deep dive into it. Another work that perhaps touched on this triadic was a not very well known book Warrior, Settlers and Nomads written by UK psychologist Terrence Watts. I bought it decades ago, and exchanged emails with him for some time.
Warriors, Settlers & Nomads (WSN) is a form of parts psychotherapy devised by UK therapist, Terence Watts. It is an astonishingly accurate look at the elements that create our personality traits and is based upon the concept of evolutionary psychology, and it is a method that many therapists and professionals use today. We all display attributes from each 'part', but are usually strongly inclined towards a single part, or sometimes a mix of two. The Warrior is forceful, resolute and organisational; the Settler is sociable, intuitive and adaptable; and the Nomad is restless, charismatic and innovative. There isn't a 'best' or a worst personality type and all have their positive and negative qualities.
The close parallel with my proposed triadic political model, Conservatives, Socialists and Liberals is intriguing as well.
So trade emerged as a by-product of strangers travelling.
My partner likes to say that there really are just two fundamental story plots, an adventurous soul goes on a journey, or a stranger comes to town.
Many global warming commentaters (apart from denialists) point out that excess consumption in Western countries is a major driver of global warming. It would seem that third world countries can never catch up with us without throwing the world into global warming turmoil. This would seem to suggest a moral imperative on the part of our politicians to promise a winding down of our economy rather than to promise growth.
We need to bear in mind the exposure off the reality of how government works as revealed in the outstanding Yes Minister et al.
Sir Humphrey explains that government is not about morality, it is about stability. This is gold, and it explains much in its truth, it isn't just satirical.
Government is not about morality, it is about stability; keeping things going, preventing anarchy, stopping society falling to bits. Still being here tomorrow.
It would seem that third world countries can never catch up with us without throwing the world into global warming turmoil.
Are you going to tell the developing countries that they have to remain poor?
This would seem to suggest a moral imperative on the part of our politicians to promise a winding down of our economy rather than to promise growth.
Really? Because if the eco-fascists could have one of their dark fantasies fulfilled and the whole developed 1b of the world were to disappear overnight, the other 9b or so people remaining would quickly move to fill the gap.
And the assumption that it's only the developed world that is damaging the planet is also dead wrong. Poorer developing nations have an impact of a different kind; usually direct deforestation, wildlife and habitat destruction, and over-fishing. China for instance instance is largely responsible for a devastating destruction of fish stocks everywhere their fleet can reach. And collectively the developing nations not only emit a lot of fossil carbon, they're also the group whose emissions are growing the fastest.
The idea that shutting down the developed world is the solution to environmental change, and that humans will find some kind of stasis on a benign planet is belied by a simple brutal fact … that 99.9% of all species that have ever existed are extinct. The moment a species fails (or refuses in our case) to continue to adapt, it has written it's own extinction warrant.
Humans are the first post-biological species to face the possibility of making conscious choices around it's own future. You have accurately identified the proximate challenge, that 10b humans cannot continue on the same development path that the first 1b humans took over 200 years to escape poverty. In response a very large fraction of the broader green movement shape the argument as a false binary, either BAU ensures a catastrophic environmental collapse, or unwind our technological development and await extinction by senescence.
And in both scenarios we exhaust resources in any event, only the timelines differ slightly. Prior to industrialisation the carrying capacity of the planet was under 1b, and a reversion to a world absent mass production will almost certainly collapse the human population something of the same order. Of course morally this a deeply anti-human position, and I reject any plan that implicitly requires a mass die-off of humanity embedded in it's assumptions.
In short you've identified the problem, but you need a better plan.
US President Donald Trump will appear on an American political talkshow – and undergo a live televised medical evaluation.
Fox News has announced Trump will give his first on-camera interview since testing positive for Covid-19. He is scheduled to appear on Tucker Carlson Tonight at 1pm NZ time today.
It's going to be a full thorough medical check too!
The doctor will be right onto it with a fully professional examination and report!
Any fully professional doctor worth their salt would jump at the chance to do it and rubbish any comments about them prostituting themselves.Speaking of the doctor. What if it were a woman, a black woman who conducted and determined the examination without 'advice' from 'outsiders?' If after giving a full and thorough examination she presented a report which was less than favourable and bluntly expressed concern what would the reaction be?
"What a nasty person you are, you're a disgrace to your profession, you should be ashamed of yourself. Fake news!"
The report has likely been written already. We could have some Saturday sport writing our own to see how close we can get. In my draft I've already crossed out the 'heart of an 18 year' that Donald wanted and gone for '40 year old.'
——-
(The doctor could take along a specialist colleague to check out Carlson at the same time. A proctologist would be most appropriate.)
World Rugby have just changed their policy on gender and sex regarding participation in sport. They're now saying that the scientific evidence strongly supports that participation should be based on biological sex, not gender identity accompanied by lowering testosterone. This is for safety and fairness reasons. Lowering testosterone appears to give limited or no changes to the physiological advantages that males have over females across a range of aspects.
The visuals in the second tweet give a good overview.
A private security company is recruiting former U.S. military Special Operations personnel to guard polling sites in Minnesota on Election Day, an effort the chairman of the company said is intended to prevent left-wing activists from disrupting the election but that the state attorney general warned would amount to voter intimidation and violate the law.
The recruiting effort is being done by Atlas Aegis, a private security company based in Tennessee that was formed last year and is run by U.S. military veterans, including people with Special Operations experience, according to its website.
[…]
In an interview earlier this week, Caudle, the chairman and co-founder of Atlas Aegis, said the client is a “consortium of business owners and concerned citizens” in Minnesota, but he declined to name the group. That consortium hired another unnamed firm licensed in Minnesota as the prime contractor, and Caudle’s company is responsible for staffing the security guards, he said. He declined to say where in Minnesota the guards would operate or how many intend to be out on Election Day.
When Insider asked three antiabortion organizations — the Heritage Foundation, Texas Alliance for Life, and Pro-Life Action League — about the origin of Trump's COVID-19 treatment, they demurred.
In the past, antiabortion advocates have spoken outagainst medical treatments that use components derived from aborted fetal tissue at any point in the creation and testing processes, including experimental coronavirus vaccines.
However, each group told Insider they would not engage in this controversy — some because they said they believed the cells used in testing bore little connection to the 1972 abortion and others because the antibody cocktail itself didn't contain traces of fetal tissue.
One organization's executive director told Insider they had no criticism of Trump and supported him because he opposes abortion and has vowed to overturn Roe v. Wade, which would remove Americans' automatic right to abortion.
We have to move on to the next stages of coping with Covid-19, these people need to be given consideration and wise policies that enable them to live in reasonable conditions during this pandemic. And so many people have become new refugees and need a world-wide effort to assist them to reach home where they have a place to live while they face the effects of the disease.
Wayne Turner is the master of Capitaine Tasman, a container ship that sails between Mount Maunganui, Auckland, Noumea, Suva and Lautoka – making a 17-day round trip.
New Zealand, Noumea and Fiji are all countries without community transmission of the virus. Turner said effectively the crew were in constant isolation. "You've got people that are basically in prison. They can't depart the vessel, they can't go for a walk, get fresh air, they can't get off the vessel.
Geneva - Effective international cooperation is urgently needed to address the circumstances of millions of migrants stranded worldwide due to mobility restrictions imposed to contain the spread of COVID-19, the International Organization for Migration said today.
A three-month-long COVID-19 Impact on Migrants effort by IOM's Returns Task Force reveals for the first time the scope and complexities of the challenges facing governments and people on the move at a time when at least 2.75 million* migrants are stranded (13 July) worldwide.
This was a good interview on Covid 19 this morning by Kim. This super-spreader affect and the 'going underground' is important to be aware of. Also the 'going underground' which keeping up the sampling-swabbing can control, and the sewerage detection is a valuable method.
In July, Victoria's Covid-19 cases rose dramatically and remained stubbornly high. By early August, a stage four lockdown was imposed across Melbourne, while the rest of Victoria moved to stage three.
Rather than an individual "superspreader" being the cause of the outbreak, Swan said it was more of a case of "superspreading social networks" that led to the situation getting out of control. "You had people going out into the north-west corridor of Melbourne and into large family groups," he said. "Friendly, cohesive families where people were working all over Melbourne, living in relatively overcrowded circumstances, they're working in abattoirs and so on, and they go out and spread it."
He said the outbreak in Victoria and another recent outbreak in Sydney showed the virus had the potential to "go underground".
"In Washington state at the beginning of it, it went underground for about six weeks, spreading in probably asymptomatic populations," he said. "When testing rates go down you lose control of the virus."
The outbreak in Sydney was discovered when virus particles were found during testing of the sewage system. Using the positive samples, officials were able to trace the virus to communities in south-west Sydney, where it was discovered that cases of the Covid-19 had been missed.
The Ardern Government’s chickens came home to roost yesterday with the news that the country is short of natural gas. In 2018, Labour banned offshore petroleum exploration, and industry executives say that the attendant loss of confidence by the industry impacted overall investment in onshore gas fields. Energy Resources Minister ...
Hi,If you’ve been digging through the newly launched Webworm store (orders are being dispatched worldwide as I type!) you’ll have noticed the best model we had was Calvin.This is Calvin.Calvin.Calvin is 7, and is the son of my producer over on Flightless Bird, Rob — aka “Wobby Wob”. Rob also ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). Climate change is everywhere. And when something's everywhere it can feel like it's nowhere. So how do we get our heads ...
Its a law like gravity: whenever a right-wing government is elected, they start attacking democracy. And now, after talking to their Republican and Tory and Fidesz chums at the International Democracy Union forum in Wellington, National is doing it here, announcing plans to remove election-day enrolment. Or, to put it ...
Yesterday Winston Peters focussed his attention on the important matter at hand. Tweeting. Like the former, and quite possibly next, orange POTUS, from whom he takes much of his political strategy, Winston is an avid X’er.His message didn’t resemble an historic address this time. In fact it was more reminiscent ...
Buzz from the Beehive A significant decline in natural gas production has given Resources Minister Shane Jones an opportunity to reiterate his enthusiasm for the mining and burning of coal. For good measure, he has praised an announcement from Genesis Energy that it will resume importing coal. He and Energy ...
“Follow the money” is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to look at who is funding them. The political parties are legally obliged to make ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Here is my subjective ranking on a “most-left” to “most-right” scale of most of our major NZ Universities, with some anecdotal (and at times amusing) evidence to back up the claim.Extreme Left Auckland University of TechnologyEvidenceThe ...
Eric Crampton writes – I hadn’t thought about this one until a helpful email showed up in my inbox.It’s pretty obvious that income tax thresholds should automatically index with inflation – whether to anchor the thresholds in percentiles of the income distribution, or to anchor against a real ...
Jacqui Van Der Kaay writes – Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National ...
Gary Judd writes – The Dean of the law school at the Auckland University of Technology is someone called Khylee Quince. I have been sent her social media posting in which she has, over the LawNews headline “Senior King’s Counsel files complaint about compulsory tikanga Maori studies for ...
Cleo Paskal writes – WASHINGTON, D.C.: ‘Many of us have received phone calls from [the opposing camp] telling them if they join the camp they will be given projects for their wards and $300,000 [around US$35,000] each’, says former Malaita Premier Daniel Suidani. The elections in Solomon Islands aren’t ...
With hindsight, it was inevitable that (a) Hamas would agree to the ceasefire deal brokered by Egypt and Qatar and that ( b) Israel would then immediately launch attacks on Rafah, regardless. We might have hoped the concessions made by Hamas would cause Israel to desist from slaughtering thousands more ...
Placards and mourners outside the Kilbirnie Mosque following the Christchurch terror attack: MSD has terminated the Kaiwhakaoranga service, which has been used by 415 families since the attacks. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The Government’s pledge to only cut ‘back office’ staff rather than ‘frontline’ services is on increasingly shaky ground, with ...
There’s been a few smaller public transport announcements over the last week or so that I thought I’d cover in a single post. Fareshare I’ve long called for Auckland Transport to offer a way to enable employer-subsidised public transport options. The need for this took on even more importance ...
Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National Minister Matt Doocey, reflects poorly on Genter and ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Who likes being sneered at? Nobody. Worse yet, when the sneerer has their facts all wrong, and might well be an idiot.The sneer in question is The adults are in charge now, and it is a sneer offered in retort to criticism of this new Government, no matter how well ...
When in government, Labour pushed to extend the Parliamentary term to four years, to reduce accountability and our ability to vote out a bad government. And now, they're trying to do it through the member's ballot, with a Four-Year Parliamentary Term Legislation Bill. The bill at least requires a referendum ...
A ballot for a single Member's Bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill (Hūhana Lyndon) The bill would prevent the government from stealing Māori land in breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It ...
Simeon Brown, alongside Wayne Brown, is favouring a political figleaf now in exchange for loading up tens of millions in extra interest costs on Auckland ratepayers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s is pushing back hard at suggestions from Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown ...
Buzz from the Beehive One headline-grabber from the Beehive yesterday was the OECD’s advice that the government must bring the Budget deficit under control or face higher interest rates. Another was the announcement of a $1.9 billion “investment” in Corrections over the next four years. In the best interests of ...
Chris Trotter writes – Had Zheng He’s fleet sailed east, not west, in the early Fifteenth Century, how different our world would be. There is little reason to suppose that the sea-going junks of the Ming Dynasty, among the largest and most sophisticated sailing vessels ever constructed, would have failed ...
David Farrar writes – Two articles give a useful contrast in balance. Both seek to be neutral explainer articles. This one in the Herald on Social Investment covers the pros and cons nicely. It links to critical pieces and talks about aspects that failed and aspects that are more ...
The tikanga regulations will compel law students to be taught that a system which does not conform with the rule of law is nevertheless law which should be observed and applied…Gary Judd KC writes – I have made a complaint to Parliament’s Regulation ...
The future of Te Huia, the train between Hamilton and Auckland, has been getting a lot of attention recently as current funding for it is only in place till the end of June. The government initially agreed to a five year trial, through to April 2026, but that was subject ...
TL;DR: Hamas has just agreed to Israel’s ceasefire plan. Nelson hospital’s rebuild has been cut back to save money. The OECD suggests New Zealand break up network monopolies, including in electricity. PM Christopher Luxon’s news conference on a prison expansion announcement last night was his messiest yet.Here’s my top six ...
A homicide in Ponsonby, a manhunt with a killer on the run. The nation’s leader stands before a press conference reassuring a frightened nation that he’ll sort it out, he’ll keep them safe, he’ll build some new prison spaces.Sorry what? There’s a scary dude on the run with a gun ...
Hi,I know it’s been awhile since there’s been any Webworm merch — and today that all changes!Over the last four months, I’ve been working with New Zealand artist Jess Johnson to create a series of t-shirts, caps and stickers that are infused with Webworm DNA — and as of right ...
The OECD’s chief economist yesterday laid it on the line for the new Government: bring the deficit under control or face higher Reserve Bank interest rates for longer. And to bring the deficit under control, she meant not borrowing for tax cuts. But there was more. Without policy changes—introducing a ...
After a hiatus of over four months Selwyn Manning and I finally got it together to re-start the “A View from Afar” podcast series. We shall see how we go but aim to do 2 episodes per month if possible. … Continue reading → ...
In 2008, the UK Parliament passed the Climate Change Act 2008. The law established a system of targets, budgets, and plans, with inbuilt accountability mechanisms; the aim was to break the cycle of empty promises and replace it with actual progress towards emissions reduction. The law was passed with near-universal ...
Buzz from the Beehive Local Water Done Well – let’s be blunt – is a silly name, but the first big initiative to put it into practice has gone done well. This success is reflected in the headline on an RNZ report:District mayors welcome Auckland’s new water deal with ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate ConnectionsA farmworker cleans the solar panels of a solar water pump in the village of Jagadhri, Haryana Country, India. (Photo credit: Prashanth Vishwanathan/ IWMI) Decisions made in India over the next few years will play a key role in global ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – The Children’s Minister, Karen Chhour, intends to repeal Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 because it creates conflict between claimed Crown Treaty obligations and the child’s best interests. In her words, “Oranga Tamariki’s governing principles and its act should be colour ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. ...
Brian Easton writes – This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be (I will report on them ...
TL;DR:Winston Peters is reported to have won a budget increase for MFAT. David Seymour wanted his Ministry of Regulation to be three times bigger than the Productivity Commission. Simeon Brown is appointing a Crown Monitor to Watercare to protect the Claytons Crown Guarantee he had to give ratings agencies ...
The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. Carr had made highly ...
I could be a florist'Round the corner from Rye LaneI'll be giving daisies to craziesBut, baby, I'll wrap you up real safe Oh, I can give you flowers At the end of every dayFor the center of your table, a rainbowIn case you have people 'round to stay Depending on ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to May 12 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Finance Minister Nicola Willis will give a pre-budget speech on Thursday.Parliament sits from Question Time at 2pm on ...
The price of the foreign affairs “reset” is now becoming apparent, with Defence set to get a funding boost in the Budget. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has confirmed that it will be one of the few votes, apart from Health and Education and possibly Police, which will get an increase ...
A listing of 26 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 28, 2024 thru Sat, May 4, 2024. Story of the week "It’s straight out of Big Tobacco’s playbook. In fact, research by John Cook and his colleagues ...
Yesterday I received come lovely feedback following my Star Wars themed newsletter. A few people mentioned they’d enjoyed reading the personal part at the beginning.I often begin newsletters with some memories, or general thoughts, before commencing the main topic. This hopefully sets the mood and provides some context in which ...
April 30 was going to be the day we’d be calling Mum from London to wish her a happy birthday. Then it became the day we would be going to St. Paul's at Evensong to remember her. The aim of the cathedral builders was to find a way to make their ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Can’t remember the last book by a Kiwi author you read? Think the NZ government should spend less on the arts in favor of helping the homeless? If so, as far as Newsroom is concerned, you probably deserve to be called a cultural ignoramus ...
Eric Crampton writes – Grudges are bad. Better to move on. But it can be fun to keep a couple of really trivial ones, so you’re not tempted to have other ones. For example, because of the rootkit fiasco of 2005, no Sony products in our household. ...
A new report warns an estimated third of the adult population have unmet need for health care.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāHere’s the six key things I learned about Aotaroa’s political economy this week around housing, climate and poverty:Politics - Three opinion polls confirmed support for PM Christopher Luxon ...
Today is May the fourth. Which was just a regular day when my mother took me to see the newly released Star Wars at the Odeon in Rotorua. The queue was right around the corner. Some years later this day became known as Star Wars Day, the date being a ...
Buzz from the Beehive Much more media attention is being paid to something Winston Peters said about former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr than to a speech he delivered to the New Zealand China Council. One word is missing from the speech: AUKUS. But AUKUS loomed large in his considerations ...
Is the economy in another long stagnation? If so, why?This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be ...
The annual list of who's been bribing our politicians is out, and journalists will no doubt be poring over it to find the juiciest and dirtiest bribes. The government's fast-track invite list is likely to be a particular focus, and we already know of one company on the list which ...
In the weeks after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Southern Israel I wrote about the possible 2nd, 3rd and even 4th order effects of the conflict. These included new fronts being opened in the West Bank (with Hamas), Golan … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – It is one of the oldest truisms that there is never a good time for MPs to get a pay rise. This week’s announcement of pay raises of around 2.8% backdated to last October could hardly have come at a worse time, with the ...
David Farrar writes – Newshub reports: Newshub can reveal a fresh allegation of intimidation against Green MP Julie-Anne Genter. Genter is subject to a disciplinary process for aggressively waving a book in the face of National Minister Matt Doocey in the House – but it’s not the first time ...
The Treasury has published a paper today on the global productivity slowdown and how it is playing out in New Zealand: The productivity slowdown: implications for the Treasury’s forecasts and projections. The Treasury Paper examines recent trends in productivity and the potential drivers of the slowdown. Productivity for the whole economy ...
Winston Peters’ comments about former Australian foreign minister look set to be an ongoing headache for both him and Luxon. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guests on Gaza and ...
These puppet strings don't pull themselvesYou're thinking thoughts from someone elseHow much time do you think you have?Are you prepared for what comes next?The debating chamber can be a trying place for an opposition MP. What with the person in charge, the speaker, typically being an MP from the governing ...
The land around Lyme Regis, where Meryl Streep once stood, in a hood, on the Cobb, is falling into the sea.MerylThe land around Lyme Regis, around the Cobb that made it rich, has always been falling slowly but surely into the sea. Read more ...
Photo by Jari Hytönen on UnsplashIt’s that new day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news ...
Buzz from the Beehive Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters was bound to win headlines when he set out his thinking about AUKUS in his speech to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. The headlines became bigger when – during an interview on RNZ’s Morning Report today – he criticised ...
The Post reports on how the government is refusing to release its advice on its corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law, instead using the "soon to be publicly available" refusal ground to hide it until after select committee submissions on the bill have closed. Fast-track Minister Chris Bishop's excuse? “It's not ...
As pressure on it grows, the livestock industry’s approach to the transition to Net Zero is increasingly being compared to that of fossil fuel interests. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above ...
The New Zealand Herald reports – Stats NZ has offered a voluntary redundancy scheme to all of its workers as a way to give staff some control over their “future” amidst widespread job losses in the public sector. In an update to staff this morning, seen by the Herald, Statistics New Zealand ...
On Werewolf/Scoop, I usually do two long form political columns a week. From now on, there will be an extra column each week about music and movies. But first, some late-breaking political events:The rise in unemployment numbers for the March quarter was bigger than expected – and especially sharp ...
The Green Party is welcoming the announcement by the Minister Responsible for RMA Reform Chris Bishop to approve most of the Wellington City Council’s District Plan recommendations. ...
David Seymour has failed to get the sweeping cuts he wanted to the free and healthy school lunch programme, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Hon Willie Jackson has been invited by the Oxford Union to debate the motion “This House Believes British Museums are not Very British’ on May 23rd. ...
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of Māori land. ...
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
Your Excellency Ambassador Meredith, Members of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassadors from European Union Member States, Ministerial colleagues, Members of Parliament, and other distinguished guests, Thank you everyone for joining us. Ladies and gentlemen - In diplomacy, we often speak of ‘close’ and ‘long-standing’ relations. ...
The Therapeutic Products Act (TPA) will be repealed this year so that a better regime can be put in place to provide New Zealanders safe and timely access to medicines, medical devices and health products, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced today. “The medicines and products we are talking about ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop, today released his decision on twenty recommendations referred to him by the Wellington City Council relating to its Intensification Planning Instrument, after the Council rejected those recommendations of the Independent Hearings Panel and made alternative recommendations. “Wellington notified its District Plan on ...
Rape Awareness Week (6-10 May) is an important opportunity to acknowledge the continued effort required by government and communities to ensure that all New Zealanders can live free from violence, say Ministers Karen Chhour and Louise Upston. “With 1 in 3 women and 1 in 8 men experiencing sexual violence ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government will be delivering a more efficient Healthy School Lunches Programme, saving taxpayers approximately $107 million a year compared to how Labour funded it, by embracing innovation and commercial expertise. “We are delivering on our commitment to treat taxpayers’ money ...
New research on the impacts of extreme weather on coastal marine habitats in Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay will help fishery managers plan for and respond to any future events, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. A report released today on research by Niwa on behalf of Fisheries New Zealand ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will lead a broad political delegation on a five-stop Pacific tour next week to strengthen New Zealand’s engagement with the region. The delegation will visit Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Tuvalu. “New Zealand has deep and ...
There has been a material decline in gas production according to figures released today by the Gas Industry Co. Figures released by the Gas Industry Company show that there was a 12.5 per cent reduction in gas production during 2023, and a 27.8 per cent reduction in gas production in the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealanders’ security and wellbeing. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealand’s defence capabilities, ...
Welcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...
It is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government. I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
A senior lawyer has filed a complaint about tikanga becoming a required law school module. Law lecturer Carwyn Jones explains what he’s getting wrong. “…the first law of Aotearoa, a law that served the needs of tangata whenua for a thousand years before the arrival of tauiwi.”– Ani Mikaere ...
In 2019, an Auckland woman woke up from surgery to find that she had undergone a treatment she didn’t consent to. She tells Alex Casey about her experience. From her very first period at the age of 14, Laura experienced “debilitating” levels of pain that forced her to withdraw from ...
Opinion: What if we got rid of our existing drug laws and replaced them with a new law that legalised and carefully regulated all psychoactive substances, from cannabis to MDMA, methamphetamine and LSD to magic mushrooms? And which also included legal drugs such as alcohol and nicotine. “Wow,” you might ...
In the gloom following director-general Al Morrison’s job cuts in 2013, the Department of Conservation restructured its operations arm. Eleven conservancy districts were whittled into six new “conservation delivery” regions, under which the Rēkohu/Wharekauri/Chatham Islands area, comprising 40 scattered islands more than 800km east of Christchurch, was tethered to the ...
One of th e country’s top litigation lawyers says New Zealand is seeing a lift in court action between companies. Chapman Tripp partner Justin Graham, who oversees a team of around 80 litigation specialists, says the courts are now so log-jammed that it’s taking over two years to get cases ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A,DIV,A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Thursday 9 May appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Comment: Concerns about the state of the economy are creeping up to the top of firms’ list of challenges. That’s evident in both surveys and the tone of our recent client discussions. Skimming the past few weeks of eco-news, it’s not hard to see why. – Retail card spending fell ...
Opinion: Could former co-leader James Shaw still make a difference to working with National? The post How the Greens could be contenders appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Albanese government is talking up the crucial role of gas as a transition fuel “through to 2050 and beyond”. In a gas strategy to be released on Thursday, the government envisages the fuel’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Next week the government will again next try to get its legislation through to deal with non-citizens who won’t cooperate with efforts to deport them. The bill, which the opposition and crossbench refused to rush ...
A long-term project that will set out an alternative vision for Aotearoa that looks beyond the narrow confines of the policy straight jacket adopted by successive governments. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bree Hurst, Associate Professor, Faculty of Business and Law, QUT, Queensland University of Technology TK Kurikawa/Shutterstock A much-awaited report into Coles and Woolworths has found what many customers have long believed – Australia’s big supermarkets engage in price gouging. What started ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daniel Ghezelbash, Associate Professor and Deputy Director, Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, UNSW Law & Justice, UNSW Sydney The Albanese government wanted to avoid an inquiry into its migration amendment bill. The report, handed down yesterday by a senate committee that ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joo-Cheong Tham, Professor, Melbourne Law School, The University of Melbourne Lobbying is at the heart of government. Who has access to and influence over key government officials shapes the decisions governments make – and how they make them. The ability to influence ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Myfany Turpin, Associate Professor, Ethnomusicology, Linguistics and Ethnobiology, University of Sydney The act representing Australia at this year’s Eurovision contest has sadly not qualified for the grand final. Yet for Zaachariaha Fielding and Michael Ross, the duo that makes up Electric Fields, ...
In announcing changes to the school lunches programme, David Seymour said kids would no longer be served ‘woke’ foods. To clear up any confusion, The Spinoff has compiled a guide to the wokeness levels of some common food items. Apple = NOT WOKE Avocado = WOKE Avocado, smashed = EVEN ...
The Minister Responsible for GCSB and the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security have been notified of this review, and have been provided a finalised Terms of Reference. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Minglu Chen, Senior Lecturer, Government and International Relations, University of Sydney Robert Way/Shutterstock As the past few years have illustrated so clearly, the Australia-China relationship is complicated. As such, it is crucial for Australians to develop a more nuanced understanding of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mariana Campbell, Research Lecturer, Conservation, Charles Darwin University Marilyn Connell Australian freshwater turtles are facing an alarming trend. Almost half of these species are listed as vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered. The Mary River turtle (Elusor macrurus) is one of Australia’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Debbie Passey, Digital Health Research Fellow, The University of Melbourne Algorithms have become integral to our lives. From social media apps to Netflix, algorithms learn your preferences and prioritise the content you are shown. Google Maps and artificial intelligence are nothing without ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Josephine Barbaro, Associate Professor, Principal Research Fellow, Psychologist, La Trobe University Unsplash We’ve come a long way in terms of understanding that everyone thinks, interacts and experiences the world differently. In the past, autistic people, people with attention deficit hyperactive disorder ...
PNG Post-Courier Papua New Guinea’s deputy opposition leader James Nomane has accused the government of “reckless economic management” that has forced devaluation to manage loan repayments in foreign currency and placate the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Prime Minister James Marape “must stop lying to the people of Papua New Guinea”, ...
Welcome to The Spinoff Bookseller Confessional, in which we get to know Aotearoa’s booksellers. This week: Jane Arthur, author of Brown Bird, and former bookseller at Good Books.The book I wish I’d writtenI have been working on not comparing myself to others. On accepting that what I can ...
The final decision on the Wellington District Plan makes it official: High-density housing is legal across most of Wellington. Housing minister Chris Bishop has announced his decision on the Wellington District Plan, approving a series of amendments to radically upzone most of Wellington, allowing tens of thousands of new townhouses ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards – Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. “Follow the money” is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to ...
RNZ News As Israel presses ahead with strikes in Rafah and seizing the Rafah crossing from Egypt, aid agencies are sounding the alarm of a “catastrophic humanitarian situation”. Rafah was “significant” because it was the only part in Gaza that had not been terribly damaged by the conflict, United Nations ...
With funding set to be scrapped for the Hamilton-Auckland commuter train, Te Huia enthusiast Georgie Dansey argues for it to be thrown a lifeline. It’s 5.45am and the chain of my crappy old bike falls off slugging up the one hill in Hamilton. I contemplate yeeting the bike into the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna Cooke, Honorary Fellow, School of the Environment, The University of Queensland We feel ecological grief when we lose places, species or ecosystems we value and love. These losses are a growing threat to mental health and wellbeing globally. We all see ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shauna Brail, Associate Professor, Institute for Management & Innovation, University of Toronto A shift to hybrid and remote work continues to affect worker presence in Toronto’s downtown.(Shutterstock) Downtown Toronto, the core of Canada’s largest city, continues to reel from the lingering ...
Responding to an Auditor-General's report slamming failures in the administration of the 2023 General Election, Taxpayers’ Union Policy and Public Affairs Manager, James Ross, said: ...
Productivity apps now make up a big chunk of the software market. But do they work? And why do they all have AI integrations?Despite being firmly on the record as a physical planner fan, I sometimes dream of something better than my pretty diary and its scrawled, ugly, interior ...
The Taxpayers’ Union says the Beehive need to lead by example, following reports of more than $50,000 spent upgrading video conferencing equipment and furniture in the Prime Minister’s office. Taxpayers’ Union Campaign Manager, Connor Molloy, ...
An objective list of the 50 most powerful people in New Zealand, as judged by the Spinoff Editorial Board. It’s power list season, baby, and we want in on the action. Sure, there’s the rich list and the powerful “c-suite” list and the young people with power (hmmm) but here, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Thalia Anthony, Professor of Law, University of Technology Sydney ShutterstockThis article contains information on deaths in custody and the names of deceased people, and describes ongoing colonial violence towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. First Nations people in Australia ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alex Simpson, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, Macquarie University Netflix Baby Reindeer’s phenomenal success has much to do with its writer and lead, Richard Gadd, who plays Donny in a tender semi-autobiographical account of sexual abuse, harassment and stalking. Gadd’s story has ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Collins, Laureate Professor in Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Newcastle KarolinaGrabowska/Pexels If you didn’t have food allergies as a child, is it possible to develop them as an adult? The short answer is yes. But the reasons why are much ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Moon, Professor of History, Auckland University of Technology Ans Westra, self-portrait, c. 1963. National Library ref AWM-0705-F They try but invariably fail – those writers who believe they are capable of encapsulating in prose or verse the essence of ...
Stewart Sowman-Lund looks at the growing concern around the world in this extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. What’s all this? When Covid-19 arrived on our shores in early 2020, some argued we were too slow, or crucially, ill-prepared for a pandemic. So ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Franco Montalto, Professor of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering and Director, Sustainable Water Resource Engineering Laboratory, Drexel University Water runs into a storm drain in a Los Angeles alley on Aug. 19, 2023, during Tropical Storm Hilary.Citizen of the Planet/Universal Images ...
The inquest into the death of Gore toddler Lachlan Jones has turned up a new witness who says he saw two teenagers and a small child in a high vis vest in the area where the boy’s body was found the day he died. Lachie’s body was discovered face up ...
Stories from the tenancy trenches, featuring spider infestations, cupboard rats and same-sex discrimination. Lucy’s brother was living in a damp 1930s building in Mt Eden where “he had to tie the cupboard doors closed so the rats didn’t get in”. Although he shared custody of his six-year-old son, his property ...
Simeon Brown, Chris Luxon, and Wayne Brown climbed into a hole and announced a plan to solve Auckland’s water woes. This is how it’ll work. New Zealand’s pipes are munted. They’re cracked and leaking, and struggling to handle all the extra poos excreted by our rising population. It’s a big, ...
I knew Taika Waititi quite well when he was a kid. His mother lived in a tall narrow house in Aro St, and my youngest sister had a similar house two doors along. They were both single mums, they each had a son aged seven. Taika and my nephew Stepan ...
Opinion: “As time passes, knowledge of the circumstances of the August 2016 outbreak will fade and its immediate impact will be lost.” This statement is from the 2017 report of the Official Inquiry into the Havelock North campylobacteriosis outbreak. The then National-led government established the inquiry after the outbreak left ...
Opinion: Nicholas Khoo looks at two key points in the high-stakes foreign policy pact debate – and asks if NZ can engage with as little drama as possible. The post Where to next for the Aukus ruckus? appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A,DIV,A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Wednesday 8 May appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Opinion: ‘Reference-class forecasting’ is at the heart of improving pricing a project and identifying the expected timeframe but it doesn’t appear to be in use here The post ‘Think fast and act slowly’ is failing big projects appeared first on Newsroom. ...
What do a sombrero in Argentina and cognitive driving tests have in common? Don’t worry, we’re not setting up a bad joke. Hinengaro Clinic dementia clinician Gregory Winkelman has the answer on today’s episode of The Detail. “We ask a patient’s spouse or son or daughter: If you went to ...
Wellington long jumper Phoebe Edwards is back and she’s having fun again. Until this year, Edwards, a top athlete in her teens, had never competed as a senior athlete in New Zealand. In March, the 26-year-old won a national long jump title in a lifetime best of 6.28m after ...
After replacing a fifth of their caucus in just four months, the Greens’ opportunity to reset, reshuffle and refocus on the Government is quickly slipping away The post Persistent Green Party scandals delay caucus reset appeared first on Newsroom. ...
ANALYSIS:By Olli Hellmann, University of Waikato When New Zealanders commemorate Anzac Day today on April 25, it’s not only to honour the soldiers who lost their lives in World War I and subsequent conflicts, but also to mark a defining event for national identity. The battle of Gallipoli against ...
By Robin Martin, RNZ News reporter A New Zealand local authority, Whanganui District Council, has passed a motion calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, condemnation of all acts of violence and terror against civilians on both sides of the conflict and the immediate return of hostages. It comes as ...
Labour's campaign strategy, according to Danyl McLaughlin:
But Danyl fails to come up with anything after his wondering & diagnosis. The Greens, trying to present as in leftist harmony, likewise felt obliged to not promise any specific transformation. If they find themselves in coalition, one would hope that the preceding negotiations do produce mutual commitments to transformation of Aotearoa – spelt out in specific policy declarations of intent!
They'd still be devoid of a mandate for that transformation, but voters would appreciate the honesty up front. A Labour/Green govt launched on a transformative consensus basis would be auspicious and likely to succeed.
Julie-Anne Genter also confirmed to a small business panel late in September that a Wealth Tax is a “bottom line” for the Green Party in any post-election negotiations with Labour.
My wife,who is a registered National Party supporter, received an email, from Judith Collins, which contained the above excerpt. Is it true, and would it make any difference anyway.
Genter didn't quite say that, but did make a mistake around the GP position on bottom lines. They don't have any bottom lines, but they do have high priorities and addressing income disparity is one of them (by progressive tax reform).
Collins is telling porkies.
Weka-the Wealth Tax addresses poverty/wealth distribution/capital disparity rather than income disparity.
Since most taxpayers under the gun with regard to wealth taxes are unlikely to sell off assets in order to meet their tax obligations, the tax would, in effect, amount to an income tax. This is different from a capital gains tax, which would be paid from the proceeds of the sale.
Those who would count as "asset rich, cash poor" might be an exception.
hmm, well it directly addresses income disparity because it would fund a GMI.
Pretty sure that 'income disparity' is the term being used by the Greens in their campaigning currently.
Semantics.
Had Labour said at the last election that Labour would embark on just an ambitious house building program, then the criticism around the Kiwibuild would not have happened.
If Twyford had been competent, he'd have delivered on his promises, and the criticism "would not have happened."
Danyl believes "Ardern has learned from her first term in government that if she promises anything substantive her caucus and the public service will fail to deliver it".
Is this true?? She seems intelligent enough to have learnt that from her experience as PM. Can't assume she has though. The public service during that term did achieve a 50% pass rate, eh? Labour usually comes in around that, so we can assume there's a reasonable basis that she would think reliance on bureaucrats is a 50-50 call, and she's comfortable with that.
Applying that logic to her caucus produces the same result, of course. So she's on a random walk. I'd prefer a destination…
edit
I have a;ways been surprised that individual Ministers can make extravagant statements that are unlikely to result in anything of value to the country and the Party feel satisfied with this dopey system that has been adopted. If there is a caucus, if the Ministers in and out of Cabinet meet and discuss and examine and hear presentations from the Public Service and other approved advisors, how can something like Phil Twyford's bloated figures and hopes get into official Labour pronouncements.
It seemed obvious that the number of houses could never be completed, and Twyford's (which are also Labour's) pronouncements have taken government and democracy into the realms of a puppet show – our very own Punch and Judy.
Please Labour stop announcing definite numbers of anything, and replace numbers with a promise to make important and far-reaching changes for the better, and then proceed to do that in a way that is prompt, practical and beneficial to those needing good policy outcomes.
Also monitor whether the Public Service are carrying out these policies in a positive manner and give them the opportunity to make suggestions for improvement so they have a voice. Explain the approach is all important to achieving success in solving problems and that government services or their contractors are crucial to that.
If Twyford and Labour had been honest they would not have increased a extremely difficult Kiwibuild of 50,000 as per 2012 to an impossible 100,000.and if they knew that it was unobtainable then it was a .. LIE 🤫
and instead of selling off state assets in the guise of Kiwibuild they could have used any land to increase state housing stock. But no let’s build for those poor who can afford a $650k home. Why can many tribal people see the lies the other side tells yet are unable to when their side tells porkies 🤔
There are more erudite people in the world who rate our PM.
"So she's on a random walk".. Lol you really revealed yourself there Dennis.
I could be wrong, but I don't think David Shearer's original "kiwibuild" policy included the building of state houses. His suggestion was that houses should be built, sold, and the proceeds used to build more houses. The current version of "kiwibuild" seems to be to build lots of state houses, but not necessarily 10,000 per year.
I referred to Twyford, and he must take responsibility for his pronouncements along with the whole of the Labour leading group.
Here is an example of Labour doing good, saying they want to do better, and that they will keep working on it. Which is the best way to present particulars within the 'transformational' project. PM Ardern listened to people who had been drug users at a meeting in Moerewa in Northland and announced a new program to combat meth addiction.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/428009/first-time-i-got-drunk-was-at-the-age-of-nine-pm-told
Auckland man Lawrence Turner told Ardern how Waipuna Ora was helping him to help others after his stint in jail.
"You're doing a good job too," Turner told the Labour leader, to the audience's laughter.
"I seen you when I was stuck in jail, just watching you, [thinking] 'f**k, she's doing all right!'"
Earlier in the day, Ardern announced Labour would roll out a meth addiction programme to another 4000 people, if re-elected, at a cost of $38 million over four years.
The Te Ara Oranga programme – piloted under the previous National-led government – has been operating in Northland and seen promising results.
National has also committed to rolling out an intensive meth treatment programme in 11 locations, as well as putting a meth-detox bed in every DHB.
Speaking at Moerewa Christian Fellowship Church, Ardern told those gathered she felt the "weight of expectation" on her shoulders to revolutionise the justice system.
"You are right to put it there. We should all feel it and we do," Ardern said.
"What we're asking for is more time."
The people will likely approve of even small, incremental changes which can be expanded after successful pilots. And that is the final test, not just setting up small pockets having good results and waving them like banners for good vibes to the public, but then budgeting for repeats carried out in ways that workers on the ground are satisfied with, and they will produce results or lose their funding.
And then if the results are achieved, the systems will be locked in, not just chopped and dropped some years later. We will always need certain interventions, and we need to look after the young particularly, from helping parents do a good job, have good standards and pride, to giving them a place in the working society doing something that will receive a salary suitable for living.
yes, putting numbers up immediatley gives naysayers a target. however few houses they actually built are a lot more than the "no housing crisis nats" built. like ten bridges, its a silly promise.
"Ardern has learned from her first term in government that if she promises anything substantive her caucus and the public service will fail to deliver it"
Hmm – haven't her inner circle and the public service just delivered one of the best Covid-responses globally – in quite an agile manner and on the hoof as well? McLaughlin is essentially pitching this as a competence thing – when it clearly isn't. And in fact it's a lame regurgitation of Nat framing.
Rather, failure to deliver will occur in those areas where band-aids and ambulances at the bottoms of cliffs can't have much effect – but the structural/economic issues that cause the problems to occur are so massive and so entrenched, that they can't be addressed without business and the media screaming the house down.
And more than just business and the media – solving these problems will also cut across the economic interests of a chunk of the affluent PMC who make up Labour's most articulate and influential support, as well as their MPs. If you removed the possibility of financial insecurity for every single citizen – downstream social problems would melt away to vanishingly low levels. But it is an inconceivably radical thing for Labour to try. I have great regard for Ardern – she is doing what she can in the environment she's been given. It’s nothing to do with competence, it’s about what is ideologically permissible.
It has been reported that when Labour was sorting the Kiwibuild policy, the goal was to be 50,000 houses but the outgoing Annette King said 100,000 sounded much better and hence the impossible figure was set.
Should have been "as many houses shall be built as we can."
My cousin in Czechia has said their govt has spent all their money on covid and has no reserves left to deal with climate change. My suspicion about this last period with Labour's prioritizing of 'the art of the possible' over longterm reason. Most importantly, their unwillingness to try and persuade. Seen also in Leftist columnists.
It's a strange election campaign. This time is not for the innocuous ordinary.
Kim Hill is interviewing him at 10 on RNZ: https://www.robgreenfield.org/biography/
Yes. There is an entire way of life emerging of people no longer rooted to one location. They move for all sorts of reasons, work, adventure, seeking and escape. They're tiny house people, van lifers, sailors, surfies, backpackers, woofers and more. They have all manner of networks, often on the net, to facilitate finding places to stay and ways to earn a living. They're not tourists, they're making a new life as global citizens.
In some ways they're incredibly resilient, in others extremely vulnerable. Some are aimless and indigent, but many do look for ways to give back to the communities around them. Often in quite imaginative ways. Rob is very much one of this tribe, I like him.
One issue they do encounter is an effective lack of democratic representation, they're usually not able to vote in most of the places they live, and rarely would any political system take account of their concerns. Mostly they accept their outsider status and work within it's limits, but events like covid can expose them badly.
Nomads like these are an enduring component of humanity, they serve an ancient purpose, cross-pollinating and spreading ideas and experiences across nations and cultures. They modern world both makes it easier in some ways and much harder in others for them, but I believe they should be embraced and celebrated on the whole.
Cheers
an entire way of life emerging of people no longer rooted to one location. They move for all sorts of reasons
Global citizens. You make a good point. Whereas my consciousness emerged from adolescence into global view (1965) human nature is mostly parochial. I never shifted from global consciousness into global experience, so I admire those motivated to do so, and those few who pioneer it as a resilient lifestyle even more!
There are no global citizenship rights, so these folk are a precariat. Must use nationality as a resource still. You've noticed that problem & describe it well too.
In ancient times the stranger was a powerful social archetype. Cross-fertilising between cultures as you mention. Perhaps we're seeing that re-emerge, leading edge. Exemplars of resilience & sustainability. Language building a bridge wherever, if they incorporate it as praxis.
There's a metaphysical basis for this: triadic structure & function. Mediating two cultures or realms makes the mediator the tertiary function. From one, holism, from two, dualism. Transcendence of dichotomies & polarities requires intervention by a third element/factor/agent. This is fundamental to neuroscience, society, nature.
Some examples. Two brain hemispheres, joined by the bridge of the corpus callosum, through which they send messages to each other. Triadic structure of time (past/present/future), three dimensions of space (vertical & two horizontal). Reproduction (takes two, then a child).
So trade emerged as a by-product of strangers travelling. That's why ancient Greeks & Romans empowered Hermes/Mercury. Not merely the messenger of the gods! Shamanic function was primal, but then economies evolved from the function of the archetype…
Yes … that's a deep dive into it. Another work that perhaps touched on this triadic was a not very well known book Warrior, Settlers and Nomads written by UK psychologist Terrence Watts. I bought it decades ago, and exchanged emails with him for some time.
The close parallel with my proposed triadic political model, Conservatives, Socialists and Liberals is intriguing as well.
So trade emerged as a by-product of strangers travelling.
My partner likes to say that there really are just two fundamental story plots, an adventurous soul goes on a journey, or a stranger comes to town.
Many global warming commentaters (apart from denialists) point out that excess consumption in Western countries is a major driver of global warming. It would seem that third world countries can never catch up with us without throwing the world into global warming turmoil. This would seem to suggest a moral imperative on the part of our politicians to promise a winding down of our economy rather than to promise growth.
We need to bear in mind the exposure off the reality of how government works as revealed in the outstanding Yes Minister et al.
Sir Humphrey explains that government is not about morality, it is about stability. This is gold, and it explains much in its truth, it isn't just satirical.
Government is not about morality, it is about stability; keeping things going, preventing anarchy, stopping society falling to bits. Still being here tomorrow.
The Proper Function of Government:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIYfiRyPi3o&t=149s 5.30 mins
It would seem that third world countries can never catch up with us without throwing the world into global warming turmoil.
Are you going to tell the developing countries that they have to remain poor?
This would seem to suggest a moral imperative on the part of our politicians to promise a winding down of our economy rather than to promise growth.
Really? Because if the eco-fascists could have one of their dark fantasies fulfilled and the whole developed 1b of the world were to disappear overnight, the other 9b or so people remaining would quickly move to fill the gap.
And the assumption that it's only the developed world that is damaging the planet is also dead wrong. Poorer developing nations have an impact of a different kind; usually direct deforestation, wildlife and habitat destruction, and over-fishing. China for instance instance is largely responsible for a devastating destruction of fish stocks everywhere their fleet can reach. And collectively the developing nations not only emit a lot of fossil carbon, they're also the group whose emissions are growing the fastest.
The idea that shutting down the developed world is the solution to environmental change, and that humans will find some kind of stasis on a benign planet is belied by a simple brutal fact … that 99.9% of all species that have ever existed are extinct. The moment a species fails (or refuses in our case) to continue to adapt, it has written it's own extinction warrant.
Humans are the first post-biological species to face the possibility of making conscious choices around it's own future. You have accurately identified the proximate challenge, that 10b humans cannot continue on the same development path that the first 1b humans took over 200 years to escape poverty. In response a very large fraction of the broader green movement shape the argument as a false binary, either BAU ensures a catastrophic environmental collapse, or unwind our technological development and await extinction by senescence.
And in both scenarios we exhaust resources in any event, only the timelines differ slightly. Prior to industrialisation the carrying capacity of the planet was under 1b, and a reversion to a world absent mass production will almost certainly collapse the human population something of the same order. Of course morally this a deeply anti-human position, and I reject any plan that implicitly requires a mass die-off of humanity embedded in it's assumptions.
In short you've identified the problem, but you need a better plan.
Yes but, as many have pointed out, who's going to vote for having less even if it does save their children and grandchildren?
Preferred PM comparisons
(TV1 Colmar Brunton Polls 1-2 weeks out from Election):
2020
Ardern 50 / Collins 23
2017
English 32 / Ardern 34
2014
Key 46 / Cunliffe 14
2011
Key 53 / Goff 13
2008
Clark 37 / Key 38
2005
Clark 42 / Brash 30
2002
Clark 48 / English 19
1999
Shipley 30 / Clark 24
That could be a make it or break it for Trump.
Is Tuckwit performing the medical evaluation, or are they bringing in Dr Oz?
LOL Gabby……. I enjoy your sense of humour!
"Hi doctor nick" (the simpsons)
"Say ah."
"Wrong guy! That's Biden."
It's going to be a full thorough medical check too!
The doctor will be right onto it with a fully professional examination and report!
Any fully professional doctor worth their salt would jump at the chance to do it and rubbish any comments about them prostituting themselves.Speaking of the doctor. What if it were a woman, a black woman who conducted and determined the examination without 'advice' from 'outsiders?' If after giving a full and thorough examination she presented a report which was less than favourable and bluntly expressed concern what would the reaction be?
"What a nasty person you are, you're a disgrace to your profession, you should be ashamed of yourself. Fake news!"
The report has likely been written already. We could have some Saturday sport writing our own to see how close we can get. In my draft I've already crossed out the 'heart of an 18 year' that Donald wanted and gone for '40 year old.'
——-
(The doctor could take along a specialist colleague to check out Carlson at the same time. A proctologist would be most appropriate.)
Said to be Marc Siegel who is the Doctor feeding false information re Covid19 and keeping Trump informed.
I'm shocked! What a surprise! The report will be fair and accurate and professional and objective and …….. well paid for!
An admission that he's under observation?
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1314287202935992320
The way he's been 'roid ragin', he fukn well better have been. For the sake of the planet.
World Rugby have just changed their policy on gender and sex regarding participation in sport. They're now saying that the scientific evidence strongly supports that participation should be based on biological sex, not gender identity accompanied by lowering testosterone. This is for safety and fairness reasons. Lowering testosterone appears to give limited or no changes to the physiological advantages that males have over females across a range of aspects.
The visuals in the second tweet give a good overview.
https://twitter.com/Scienceofsport/status/1314597068229443586
I guess Hillary's going to lose.
/
https://twitter.com/JasonMillerinDC/status/1314660014158761984
Her e-mails are so appalling I'm so relieved I didn't vote for her this time around. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I had.
Hey Barfly, voted yes today Cheers.
Thank you
my pleasure, so did 'him indoors'
It really was a super event.
https://twitter.com/RoigFranzia/status/1314674928113922048
Nice uniforms.
A private security company is recruiting former U.S. military Special Operations personnel to guard polling sites in Minnesota on Election Day, an effort the chairman of the company said is intended to prevent left-wing activists from disrupting the election but that the state attorney general warned would amount to voter intimidation and violate the law.
The recruiting effort is being done by Atlas Aegis, a private security company based in Tennessee that was formed last year and is run by U.S. military veterans, including people with Special Operations experience, according to its website.
[…]
In an interview earlier this week, Caudle, the chairman and co-founder of Atlas Aegis, said the client is a “consortium of business owners and concerned citizens” in Minnesota, but he declined to name the group. That consortium hired another unnamed firm licensed in Minnesota as the prime contractor, and Caudle’s company is responsible for staffing the security guards, he said. He declined to say where in Minnesota the guards would operate or how many intend to be out on Election Day.
https://archive.li/Y3GZk (wapo)
Sounds fascist to me. Goodbye USofA.
The best it's Ok when Trump does it to date?
When Insider asked three antiabortion organizations — the Heritage Foundation, Texas Alliance for Life, and Pro-Life Action League — about the origin of Trump's COVID-19 treatment, they demurred.
In the past, antiabortion advocates have spoken out against medical treatments that use components derived from aborted fetal tissue at any point in the creation and testing processes, including experimental coronavirus vaccines.
However, each group told Insider they would not engage in this controversy — some because they said they believed the cells used in testing bore little connection to the 1972 abortion and others because the antibody cocktail itself didn't contain traces of fetal tissue.
One organization's executive director told Insider they had no criticism of Trump and supported him because he opposes abortion and has vowed to overturn Roe v. Wade, which would remove Americans' automatic right to abortion.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/antiabortion-groups-say-they-stand-behind-trumps-use-of-a-drug-tested-on-cells-derived-from-an-aborted-fetus-because-the-president-was-not-involved-with-that-abortion/ar-BB19SkGB?ocid=st
We have to move on to the next stages of coping with Covid-19, these people need to be given consideration and wise policies that enable them to live in reasonable conditions during this pandemic. And so many people have become new refugees and need a world-wide effort to assist them to reach home where they have a place to live while they face the effects of the disease.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/428037/covid-19-rules-for-ship-crew-it-s-worse-than-being-in-prison
Crews on ships coming into New Zealand ports are not allowed ashore and must wear PPE gear every time they are on deck.
This also applies to New Zealand crew.
Wayne Turner is the master of Capitaine Tasman, a container ship that sails between Mount Maunganui, Auckland, Noumea, Suva and Lautoka – making a 17-day round trip.
New Zealand, Noumea and Fiji are all countries without community transmission of the virus.
Turner said effectively the crew were in constant isolation.
"You've got people that are basically in prison. They can't depart the vessel, they can't go for a walk, get fresh air, they can't get off the vessel.
and
https://reliefweb.int/report/world/immediate-action-required-address-needs-vulnerabilities-275m-stranded-migrants
Geneva - Effective international cooperation is urgently needed to address the circumstances of millions of migrants stranded worldwide due to mobility restrictions imposed to contain the spread of COVID-19, the International Organization for Migration said today.
A three-month-long COVID-19 Impact on Migrants effort by IOM's Returns Task Force reveals for the first time the scope and complexities of the challenges facing governments and people on the move at a time when at least 2.75 million* migrants are stranded (13 July) worldwide.
This was a good interview on Covid 19 this morning by Kim. This super-spreader affect and the 'going underground' is important to be aware of. Also the 'going underground' which keeping up the sampling-swabbing can control, and the sewerage detection is a valuable method.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/saturday/audio/2018767777/norman-swan-how-australia-is-coping-with-covid-19
In July, Victoria's Covid-19 cases rose dramatically and remained stubbornly high. By early August, a stage four lockdown was imposed across Melbourne, while the rest of Victoria moved to stage three.
Rather than an individual "superspreader" being the cause of the outbreak, Swan said it was more of a case of "superspreading social networks" that led to the situation getting out of control. "You had people going out into the north-west corridor of Melbourne and into large family groups," he said. "Friendly, cohesive families where people were working all over Melbourne, living in relatively overcrowded circumstances, they're working in abattoirs and so on, and they go out and spread it."
He said the outbreak in Victoria and another recent outbreak in Sydney showed the virus had the potential to "go underground".
"In Washington state at the beginning of it, it went underground for about six weeks, spreading in probably asymptomatic populations," he said. "When testing rates go down you lose control of the virus."
The outbreak in Sydney was discovered when virus particles were found during testing of the sewage system. Using the positive samples, officials were able to trace the virus to communities in south-west Sydney, where it was discovered that cases of the Covid-19 had been missed.
Why is coke cheaper than milk ?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/123020815/new-zealands-dental-care-in-a-state-of-crisis
Lets get our freedom from a strong govt for the people. Anything else is illusion meaning rich-rule.